Instrument panel detail
by Fred Cronenwett
clscale7@gmail.com
There are a few things that can improve any Scale model. One of them is a detailed cockpit. To get the best possible static score during competition, the outline of your model needs to match your three-view and the aircraft should be painted. Surface details add a next level of realism. Any exposed item on the outside of the full-scale aircraft should be duplicated wherever possible to increase your static score.
There are several Scale classes that you can enter, so the first thing you need to decide is which event you want to enter. If you are flying in Fun Scale, you don’t need to build with the level of detail that would be required for an Authentic Scale model. Remember, the only Scale event that has the cockpit judged is Authentic Scale; in all other events, including Sport Scale, the cockpit is not judged.
I think that a detailed cockpit in a Sport Scale model will increase your overall score on a subconscious level in the minds of the judges. During static judging, there is a craftsmanship score that does not officially apply to the cockpit, but if parts are visible, a judge might give you more craftsmanship points if there is some degree of detail.
Grant Hiestand is building a Beech Baron for Authentic Scale and has an ideal set of documentation for his project. Armed with hundreds of color photographs of the full-scale Baron—including the interior—he duplicated the instrument panel down to the lettering, as well as other small details. If he had been building the model for Sport Scale, he would not have needed to go to this level of detail on the instrument panel.
There are commercially available decal sheets that can be used to create a scale panel. However, the size and the lettering might not match your particular full-scale aircraft. Make sure that the decals you are using match the full-scale aircraft—in other words, don’t use a modern American instrument decal for a German fighter.
Another thing to think about is that the instrument panel decal is flat and has no depth. You can put the decal below a glass surface, but then it only has two levels—the decal face and the glass surface.
Notice that the German instrument panel has features on the outside, the glass, the dial indicator, the instrument face, and then another level below that. The method that Grant used to make his instruments came from a video by Dave Platt. Dave has other videos for sale that show how he built various Scale models.
Grant started with a paper layout of the instrument panel for the overall size, shape, and instrument locations. He then cut a .03 styrene panel that matched that shape, complete with the holes where the instruments would be located.
Grant scanned the panel and then combined it with scanned pictures of the full-scale instruments so that he could place that image in the right spot. Instead of using a decal that did not match his documentation, he created his own decal using photographs from his
documentation package. That is only one layer of the instrument.
Grant created his own bezels and used a modified styrene rod for the indicator needles. Each layer of the instrument is basically created from the glass, bezel, spacer, indicator needle, and the face of the instrument. He used RC56 canopy glue to fasten it all together.
Vacuum-Formed Parts
Another item worth mentioning is the use of vacuum forming for some of the details on the instrument panel. The wood blank was used to vacuum form the plastic part that was trimmed and painted. This process required much time and effort, but the results are worth it. The vacuum-forming machine Grant uses came from Micro-Mark. Although it can’t make large items such as a canopy, he used it to create parts on the instrument panel.
Look at the photographs and you will see the wood plug that was used to vacuum form the part. The part was then cut out and painted. The surface on this part would have been difficult to replicate with painted wood. Notice that the plug is rough, yet the vacuum-formed part looks great. You can see where it was used on the instrument panel.
What Is the Best Material?
Another item that was made several times before Grant pulled out his lathe
was the hub for the control mechanism arm on the instrument panel. He tried several materials, but in the end, he made the part using aluminum. He could have made it from wood and then put a metal-colored decal on it, but it would not have looked as good as real aluminum.
When you are duplicating scale details for your model, look at what was on the full-scale aircraft and choose the best material for the job.
AMA Nats
We are approximately six weeks away from the Nats, so make sure you get out and practice and decide what options you are going to use.
To avoid a $50 late fee, make sure you register by June 20. This is the first year that the Control Line (CL) and RC Scale competition will be on different weekends. Because of that, the static judging will be moved to the site where CL Scale is normally flown.
2017 Contest Calendar
The following contests have been sanctioned for CL Scale. Consult the AMA Sanctioned Event Calendar for details and other information before making plans to attend the contests.
The Lafayette Esquadrille will have its 30th annual Broken Arrow CL Stunt and Scale contest on September 16-17. CL models have been flying at Buder Park in Valley Park, Missouri, since 1960. Come help the Lafayette Esquadrille celebrate this milestone event.
June 4: Wisconsin Control Line Championships, Mukwonago WI
June 12-17: Brodak Fly-In 2017, Carmichaels PA
July 14-16: AMA CL Scale Nats, Muncie IN
August 12-13: West Ohio Stunt and Scale Classic, Dayton OH
September 3: Midwest Regional C/L Championships, Sugar Grove IL
September 16-17: Broken Arrow CL Stunt and Scale, Buder Park MO
October 28: Navy Carrier Plus, Phoenix AZ
I always welcome contest reports, upcoming contest flyers, and pictures of projects you are building and flying.
Land softly!
SOURCES:
National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA)
www.nasascale.org
AMA Nats
(800) 435-9262, ext. 261
http://nats.modelaircraft.org
Micro-Mark
(800) 225-1066
www.micromark.com
Lafayette Esquadrille Control Line Club
www.lafayetteesquadrillecl.wordpress.com
Dave Platt Models
dpminfo@daveplattmodels.com
www.daveplattmodels.com
